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Carriera sfortunata quella dei Kaiser Chiefs: debutto convincente, secondo album mezza-delusione, terzo album che non dà speranze per il futuro.
Intanto occupiamoci del primo (ed unico album che recensirò della band in questione, poichè più interessante), "Employment", uscito nel 2005. I Kaiser Chiefs sono una band di Leeds, che prendono il nome dal Kaizer Chiefs, squadra calcistica sudafricana dove militava il loro idolo ad inizio carriera, Lucas Radebe, capitano del Leeds United dal '97 al 2001.
Il gruppo, capitanato da Ricky Wilson, cantante pazzerello che è un misto tra Damon Albarn e un Robbie Williams sotto gli effetti dell'alcool, è divertente e piacevole, che sa mischiare le sonorita garage/rock caratteristiche di questi anni in terra d'Albione e quelle più synth e riprendenti lo stile degli LCD SoundSystem. I Kaiser Chiefs, per l'appunto, sono i Blur in chiave moderna (ascoltare Ruby, Modern Way e Caroline, Yes) per notare la somiglianza dei Kaiser col gruppo di Colchester), e, arrivati nel 2005 a debuttare con questo disco, non deludono nessuno.
L'album si apre con "Everyday I Love You Less And Less", canzone apprezzabilissima, con un ritmo frenetico e coinvolgente, ed un testo decisamente spassoso ("Everyday I love you less and less, i can't believe once you and me did sex, it's makes me sick to think of you undressed"). Dopo un bell'inizio, energico e convincente, si passa alla seconda traccia, "I Predict A Riot", sempre simile allo stile e struttura della canzone precedente, Ricky Wilson si dimostra un discreto cantante e il batterista, Nick Hodgson, nonchè autore di tutti i testi, un buon paroliere. Dopo due singoloni da paura si passa a una canzone decisamente più calma e matura (e forse è un po' questo quello che si aspettava la gente da loro col passare del tempo), "Modern Way", il cui video reputo assolutamente geniale. Se con Na Na Na Na Naa al disco non viene aggiunto nulla di che tranne appunto dei fastidiosi "Na Na Na Na Naa" emessi da Nick Hodgson (canzone fotocopia alle prime due per obiettivo, ovvero far muovere il culo), con la successiva "You Can Have It All" (bella) ma soprattutto con la canzone simbolo del disco "Oh My God" si arriva al punto migliore del lavoro della band: chi non si ritroverebbe a battere i piedi e ad urlare insieme al cantante "Oh my goood I can't believe It!!" fuori da ogni schema razionale?
Con "Born To Be A Dancer" e "Saturday Night", due canzoni sicuramente apprezzabili da un buon ritmo e un'energia pazzesca, il disco si conferma piacevole e veloce per come prende la sua energia. Con le ultime 4 canzoni (esclusa la carina Caroline, Yes) al disco non viene aggiunto nulla di che, ed esso si chiude lasciando non totalmente soddisfatto l'ascoltatore, che si chiede sicuramente che fine potrebbe fare una band che sforna 12 canzoni carine, ma pressochè tutte uguali tra loro; ed infatti la band ci riproverà 2 anni dopo non convincendo pubblico e critica con "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" (che tutto sommato non fa pietà) e nel 2008 con "Off With Their Heads", a mio parere un completo disastro. Forse da parte del gruppo di Ricky Wilson c'era troppa voglia di fare tutto in poco tempo, sperando di convincere tutti di essere una band prodigio: i Kaiser Chiefs per loro sfortuna non ci sono riusciti, "Employment" risulta essere un disco carino, ma che va bene ascoltato una volta, due volte, tò, tre volte.. ma alla fine finisce per stancare, e quando una band inizia a fare oltre che tutte canzoni uguali, anche tutti gli album uguali, inizia a stancare pure lei. Avessero preso una marcia diversa dal secondo album (scrivendo più canzoni come Modern Way o Love's Not A Competition, But I'm Winning, presente questa nel secondo album) forse ora sarebbero considerati meglio dalla critica mondiale e dal pubblico.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Everyday I Love You Less and Less (03:37)
Everyday I love you less and less
It's good to see that you’ve become obsessed
I got to get this message to the press
That everyday I love you less and less
And everyday I love you less and less
I’ve got to get this feeling off my chest
The doctor says all I need is some rest
Since everyday I love you less and less
Unless, unless
I know, I feel it in my bones,
I’m sick, I’m tired
Of staying in control
Oh yes, I feel, a rat upon the wheel
I got to know what's not and what is real
Oh yes, I’m stressed
I’m sorry I digress
Impressed, you dressed to S.O.S.
Oooooh and my parents love me
Oooooh and my girlfriend loves me
Oooooh
Everyday I love you less and less
I can't believe onceyou and me did sex
It makes me sick to think of you undressed
Since everyday I love you less and less
And everyday I love you less and less
You’re turning into something I detest
And everybody says that you're a mess
Since everyday I love you less and less
Unless unless
I know, I feel it in my bones,
I’m sick I’m tired
Of staying in control
Oh yes, I feel, a rat upon the wheel
I got to know what's not and what is real
Oh yes, I’m stressed
I’m sorry I digress
Impressed, you dressed to S.O.S.
Oooooh and my parents love me
Oooooh and my girlfriend loves me
Oooooh they keep photos of me
Oooooh that's enough love for me
Oooooh
Oooooh and my parents love me
Oooooh and my girlfriend loves me
Oooooh they keep photos of me
Oooooh that's enough love for me
Oooooh
02 I Predict a Riot (03:53)
Watching the people get lairy
Is not very pretty I tell thee
Walking through town is quite scary
And not very sensible either
A friend of a friend he got beaten
He looked the wrong way at a policeman
Would never have happened to Smeaton
And old Leodiensian
La-ah-ah, la la lalala la
Ah-ah-ah, la la lalala la
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
I tried to get in my taxi
A man in a tracksuit attacked me
He said that he saw it before me
Wants to get things a bit gory
Girls run around with no clothes on
To borrow a pound for a condom
If it wasn't for chip fat, well they'd be frozen
They're not very sensible
La-ah-ah, la la lalala la
Ah-ah-ah, la la lalala la
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
And if there's anybody left in here
That doesn't want to be out there
Watching the people get lairy
Is not very pretty I tell thee
Walking through town is quite scary
And not very sensible
La-ah-ah, la la lalala la
Ah-ah-ah, la la lalala la
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
And if there's anybody left in here
That doesn't want to be out there
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
I predict a riot, I predict a riot
03 Modern Way (04:03)
I know cause I've seen it
It was grey and I want it
There's no point in sitting
Going crazy on my own
Do you know what
I was put here in the world for
Could you tell me
In three words or more?
It's the only way of getting out of here
It's the only way of getting out of here
Take a lesson
From the ones who have been there
My brain is not damaged
But in need of some repair
Hold on to the basics
But we can't change all our tactics
There's no point sitting
Going crazy on your own
It's the only way of getting out of here
It's the only way of getting out of here
This is the modern way
Faking it everyday
Taking it as we come
We're not the only ones
Is that what we used to say
This is the modern way?
I know where I'm going
And that we are ever knowing
I will stop at nothing
Just to get what I want
It's the only way of getting out of here
It's the only way of getting out of here
This is the modern way
Faking it everyday
Taking it as we come
We're not the only ones
Is that what we used to say
This is the modern way?
This is the modern way
Faking it everyday
Taking them as we come
We're not the only ones
Is that what we used to say
This is the modern way?
04 Na Na Na Na Naa (03:01)
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not move me it does not get me going at all
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not shift me it's not the kind of thing that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not move me it's not the kind of thing that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
She does not listen she's too wrapped up with all of her things
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
This does not get to me 'cos she's not the kind of girl that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
She does not move me she's not the kind of girl that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not move me it's not the kind of thing that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not move me (it does not move me) it does not get me going at all
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not shift me (it does not shift me) it's not the kind of thing that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
It does not move me it's not the kind of thing that I like
Na Na Na Na Naa
Na Na Na Na Naa
06 Oh My God (03:35)
Time on your side that will never end
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
But you work in a shirt with your nametag on it
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Is a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Too much time spent dragging the past up
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
Settling down in your early twenties
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Is a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god, I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Great rulers look for greater glory
The only thing growing is our history
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
It comes back stronger than a powered up Pac-Man
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god, I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my god, I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And Oh my, god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
07 Born to Be a Dancer (03:30)
You and me were made (it's impossible to say)
To be together always
Then you moved away to the capital of England
I hoped you'd stay there
Once you ask me what I'm thinking
I lay back and think of England
Do you know my real answer
I was born to be a dancer
I came down at your (on the national express)
Request to touch your breasts and
There I found that you, you were hanging with a crowd
A load of cheats and liars
Do you know what I've been thinking
I lay back and think of England
Do you know my real answer
I was born to be a dancer
Once you ask me what I'm thinking
I lay back and think of England
Do you know my real answer
I was born to be a dancer
Do you know what I've been thinking
I lay back and think of England
Do you know my real answer
I was born to be a dancer
08 Saturday Night (03:27)
Suddenly there's a knock at your head
Don't let them in because they're trying to take your TV set
Happiness is the ball in your hand
You've got to try and throw this party just as far as you can
Creosote is pouring out of my brain
I swear I heard the floorboards, they were creaking your name
Get a room, get ahead, get a hat
We're going to hell anyway, let's travel first class
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
Watching the boys on their motorbikes
I wanna be like those guys
I wanna wear my clothes tight
With Matching jackets and a fistful of notes
New sneakers and a fresh pack of smokes
Pneumothorax is a word that is long
They're just trying to put some punk back into punctured lung
Panic over, party off, party on
Cause we are birds of a feather and you can be the fat one
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
Over your heads like a satellite
I wanna see what they see
I wanna love you like crazy
Cause camera are pointing right at your face
Can see into your room from outer space
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
It's not the size of the man in the fight
I wanna know what that does
I wanna show what matters
Cause it's the size of the fight in the man
That makes the difference and decides who is champ
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
Cause you and me are we're on the edge of the knife
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
I asked your mother and she said it's alright
We're getting married when we're thirty
I wanna do it on your birthday
Cause I don't wanna waste a moment with you
I just wanna live the whole night through
Cut through the city on a Saturday night
Cause you and me we're on the edge of the knife
09 What Did I Ever Give You? (04:09)
Head down, keep your head down
Keep your rent down over time
Hold tight, to your red stripe
Why do we fight every time?
I wish that you could see me in the day
I hope that you'll remember me that way
Nightclub, marlboro light stub
stuck to my gum all the time
I treat you
like you're see-through
I don't mean to
everytime
I wish that you could see me in the day
I hope that you'll remember me that way
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was pain
And a look of distain
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was grief
Are you sick to your teeth?
Disgraced
back to my place
I'm a complete waste
of your time
I'm asleep
before the first sheep
Until the last bleep
of all time
I wish that you could see me in the day
I hope that you'll remember me that way
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was pain
And a look of distain
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was grief
Are you sick to your teeth
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was pain
And a look of distain
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All I gave you was grief
Are you sick to your teeth
What did I ever give you
When you wanted me to
All i gave you was grief
And a look of distain
What did i ever give you
When you wanted me to
All i gave you was grief
Are you sick to your teeth
What did i ever give you..
10 Time Honoured Tradition (02:45)
Well it's time honoured tradition
To get enough nutrition
Stay alive until you die
And that is the end of you
And I pity the fools
Who don't recognize the rules
We cannot cheat the reapers reap
And that is the end of that
That is the end of that
That is the end of that
That is the end of that
Ho ho ho ho...
Well it's not an old wives tale
Too much red meat and ale
Will make you pay get five a day
Or that is the end of you
And it's a common misconception
But true without exception
These nights of booze catch up with you's
And that is an actual fact
That is the end of that
That is the end of that
That is the end of that
Ho ho ho ho...
La lalala...
(instrumental)
Ho ho ho ho...
La lalala...
It's time honoured tradition
To get enough nutrition
Stay alive until you die
And that is the end of you
And I pity the fools
Who don't recognize the rules
We cannot cheat the reapers reap
And that is the end of that
11 Caroline, Yes (04:12)
You've done well my boy, my oh my
I bet you thought that you had one this time
Watch your back because revenge is sweet
And you are everything I wanna be
You got everything so why oh why
Did you have to take Caroline?
I bet you thought that was the death of me
Cause you are everything I wanna be
In my life
In my life
You got your way now and I got mine
But mine is better and it took less time
People say now that you look like me
Cause you are everything I wanna be
In my life
In my life
Aaaah...
Cause you are everything I wanna be
In my life
In my life
In my life
In my life
12 Team Mate (03:24)
We used to go out nightly
To the armoury
You used to be my team mate
Or that's the way it seemed
We lost our friends
Because you wanted to
They had no faith in you
I had faith in you
You said we don't need anybody new
It's just me and you
On a bicycle for two
Ah ah ahhh
We used to hold on tightly
And you relied on me
I used to to be your team mate
Or that's the way it seemed
We lost our friends
Because you wanted to
They had no faith in you
I had faith in you
We've been everything you wanted to
It was just me and you
On a bicycle for two
Ah ah ahhh
Ah ah ahhh
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di NorthernSoul
I Kaiser Chiefs potrebbero benissimo suonare un disco dei Mando Diao, o dei Libertines senza che nessuno se ne accorgesse.
Un disco ascoltabile, certo, che presterete ad un amico e non vi interesserà riaverlo.
Di BlurredFigure
"Ma andiamo con ordine: in generale, è vero si tratta di Franz Ferdinand+Blur ma la prima traccia ('Everyday I Love You Less And Less') è decisamente molto Futureheads."
"Certamente da evitare se siete tra quelli che odiano i lalalalala."
Di Adil
Il canovaccio che molti critici seguono con gruppi come i Kaiser Chiefs è di una monotonia quasi mortifera.
I Kaiser Chiefs sono meno interessanti della spiegazione che sta alla base del loro repentino successo.
Di Zerstorer
Questa band inglese propone un Indie Rock con sfumature elettroniche, che risulta brillante e originale.
In generale questa band, al suo album di esordio, risulta “fresca” e innovativa, con ampi margini di miglioramento.
